3D printing plastic yourself: students educate themselves about plastics in workshops

Plastic is a part of our lives that cannot be easily eliminated and is much more than the plastic that floats in oceans. Precisely because plastic is such a versatile material, future generations must also be taught how to use and recycle it responsibly.

Two students from the high school in Löbau are committed to this. On their own initiative, they have set up the Makerspace Geistesblitz, where they educate young people about plastic and show them what can be created with it. They explain how they came up with the idea of the Makerspace and what plans they have for the coming period in an interview with K-MAG.

What is the Makerspace Geistesblitz?

Max Hilse: The Makerspace is an open space for modern technology: we have 3D printers, VR glasses, laser cutters and much more. Our aim is to get young people excited about future topics and encourage them to get involved with them. For about a year now, we have opened up a whole new topic for us: Plastics recycling and plastics processing. We want to make this accessible to young people.

How did the Makerspace come about?

Hilse: Out of self-interest. It was an initiative by us young people. In 2018, a workshop with the Fabmobil took place in our region. It's a big double-decker bus and basically a travelling Makerspace. We took part in the workshop and were fascinated. There we said that we wanted something like that, because Löbau has around 16,000 inhabitants, a poor infrastructure and few leisure activities for young people. We then found an association that was looking for young people who wanted to set up such an offer. And together with the association, we made it: in 2019, the association rented a shop here and we are now in it.

Who is the offer aimed at? Is it only for pupils?

Hannah Feige: Our target group is children and young people, because that's who we mainly want to address. Our workshops and offers are also designed for them. But if adults want to do something here, they have the opportunity to do so.

What kind of projects do you realise?

Hilse: In the past, we have done a lot on the topic of 3D printing, for example a workshop with recognised regional museums. We also offer, among other things, all-day programmes on the topic of 3D printing at our school.

Now, during the summer holidays, we also have a lot planned, for example the Lusatia Tour Recycling. We will tour the region with the recycling machines, with the manual injection moulding machine and an extruder and make this complex of topics accessible to young people.

Feige: Apart from that, we make our premises available to the public twice a week. Any young person who wants to can come here and use the equipment – it's an open meeting place.

How did you come up with the idea for the Lusatia Recycling Tour?

Hilse: Last year someone came to us, showed us low-threshold plastic processing machines and said that we could do something with them. We were a bit sceptical at first, but then we filled out an application for funding and bought the first machine, an injection moulding machine. Of course, the machine is not fully utilised two days a week. That's why we said we wanted it not only to stay with us, but also to come to the whole region; that was already stated in the funding application. Because a resource that is expensive and particularly in our region should also be available to the entire region. That's why we planned the Lusatia tour.

Feige: The workshops are scheduled for two days each, during which we will work with the children and young people on the topics of plastics and plastics recycling. The participants can then try out the machines, use them and also create moulds and tools themselves.

There will also be lectures on plastics and sustainability. However, these will be a little different at each point of the tour. After the two days, the machines will remain at the respective location for a fortnight, so that the participants can use the machines for longer. We are then no longer available as helpers, but the basics were taught in the two days - the participants know how to use the machines and can try them out further.

Why did you participate in the Polysax education centre?

Hilse: We were invited by the chairman of the board of the Polysax sponsoring association, which includes many regional companies in the plastics industry, to be guests at an entrepreneurs' table for a brief presentation of our project. We were looking for supporters from industry as part of the Lusatia Tour Recycling. To finance the campaign, we approached various companies to enter into cooperations. And apparently we were successful, because all the important companies in the region from the industry were represented at the Polysax Education Centre and we were able to show what we actually do in the Makerspace.

The hook of this impulse was a Google search: If you search for the word "plastic", you get pictures of rubbish in the sea or rubbish that crushes people – the word simply has a negative connotation. We want to approach the topic in a more differentiated way and educate people. Of course, not everything in the current handling of plastic is right, but a lot of it is good and so far there has been no alternative. If you Google the word "plastic", beautiful pictures are displayed, for example of toys or granules. That is the path we want to take: Away from "plastic", this colloquial and difficult word, towards "synthetics".

How is your Makerspace project going?

Feige: Because of Corona, it was of course difficult for a while because we weren't allowed to open. But we used the time wisely to do a bit of public relations work. For example, we took part in Maker vs. Virus and printed face shields in the first Lockdown. This has already brought us a bit more attention. The open meeting has been running again for a month and is always well attended by external young people.

How do you think you can get young people or younger people to get more involved with the issue of plastics?

Hilse: Generally, many young people today are concerned with the topic. But they don't deal with it in a differentiated enough way - I think the only way to do that is through personal conversations. In my opinion, big image campaigns don't help. It only helps if you do something together with the young people. The point is that they can also create something on their own. An experience like this makes young people discuss things more openly together and look at the whole issue. Plastic is frowned upon because there is an emotionality behind it. This negative emotionality must first be softened by another emotionality, so to speak; this is done through practice and through the experience of success. And then the topic of plastic can be looked at in a more differentiated way.